I just heard an interview with Dr. Isaac Jackson... and thought it was a joke, much as I would have perceived Ms. Fluke's testimony...in a normal world.
But I assure you....this poster-child for the Left is real...and here is the LATimes perspective:

1. "Heroin shooters, speed users, pot smokers ... convene regularly in this city's gritty Tenderloin district  not for treatment, but to discuss public health policy and share their experiences free from shame or blame.

2. ...some pressing questions, including how those heading to a users' conference in Oregon this fall would obtain their methadone or safely procure other drugs to use in a supervised injection room.

3. "We have to figure that out," said Isaac Jackson, the group's senior organizer. The 56-year-old, who holds a doctorate in media arts and sciences from MIT, turned to speed in his mid-30s. "Nobody should [skip] this conference because they're afraid they're not going to get their dose."

4. This is the San Francisco Drug Users Union, one of a few such groups in the U.S. and part of a growing worldwide movement of thousands who, according to the International Network of People Who Use Drugs, are demanding a voice "in decision-making processes that affect our lives."

5. Linked to the harm-reduction movement  a philosophy that aims to reduce disease, injury and death among drug users without passing judgment or demanding abstinence  the union mostly hopes to put a face on those whom, Jackson said, "most people despise."

6. "People say, 'You're a drug user, you brought this on yourself,' " Jackson said. "Do people say that when you're 300 pounds with heart problems from eating McDonald's every day?"

7. The union  with about five dozen members who attend meetings  eschews words like "addict" and "abuser." It neither encourages nor discourages use. At the recent meeting, one man who took a long bathroom break emerged to alternate between dozing on the couch and scratching himself, signs of an opiate high.

9. "And were consumers of drug policies, were consumers of rehab, were consumers of drugs....Tall and gangly, with a drifting eye, Mr. Jackson speaks with a mumble and a dry sense of humor about losing most of the perks of a normal life  car, career, apartment  to meth, something he feels might have been avoided had a group like his been around at the time. (He states that one aim is to teach people to use crack and meth safely.)

In 1993, one of our greatest statesmen, Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan (D- N.Y.) published one of the most important pieces of social theory entitled "Defining Deviancy Down." Moynihan started from Emile Durkheim's proposition that there is a limit to the amount of deviant behavior any community can "afford to recognize" (called the "Durkheim Constant"). As the amount of deviancy increases, the community has to adjust its standards so that conduct once thought deviant is no longer deemed so. Consequently, if we are not vigilant about enforcing them, our standards would be constantly devolving in order to normalize rampant deviancy.Defining Deviancy Down | MetaFilter

Breaking Bad blamed for shocking rise in crystal meth usage3 Nov 2014 ~ A leading academic claims the critically-acclaimed US show Breaking Bad "instantly makes people curious" about crystal meth

The shocking rise in crystal meth usage across the UK and Europe could be down to the influence of hit TV show Breaking Bad, a leading academic has warned. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has revealed how parts of the EU are now being flooded with methamphetamine. Germany in particular has seen the highest surge in usage of the Class-A drug reporting a worrying rise of 51 per cent. In Britain alone border patrols have seen a surge in attempts to smuggle crystal meth into the country rise by 400 per cent in the past year. Figures released by the Government in January also revealed seizures of the deadly drug by police forces have also quadrupled in the last five years. On Monday Professor Ellis Cashmore, an author on celebrity and media culture, from Staffordshire University, said the global success of the critically-acclaimed US drama could be to blame. He claimed having the central plot of a popular TV show revolving around the drug would instantly boost its appeal.

Mr Cashmore said: "Although the show does not go out to glamorise the drug, its very inclusion promotes interest in that substance. "The fact it is a central premise to almost the entire series would serve to boost this interest for people who perhaps had not encountered it before. "One of the central protagonists Jessie, played by Aaron Paul, is portrayed as a drug addict and he is now a Hollywood A-Lister. He is a bit of a sex symbol. "The fact this character who we grow to love is taking crystal meth instantly makes people curious. "We live in a hedonistic generation where people are seeking pleasure from various sources, and increasingly these are be found in the most illicit forms. "Even if a TV show, like Breaking Bad, portrays drugs in a negative aspect and showing its most destructive side, it will still appeal to somebody. "Showing the horrendous impact of crystal meth can have a boomerang effect and cause curiosity among some viewers who might think 'that must be good'. "I'm not surprised following the success of Breaking Bad that we have news of a surge in the use of methamphetamine. "The fact millions of people have watched the show and been entertained by it almost instantly glamorises its subject matter, whether deliberate or not."

'Even if it shows drugs' most destructive side, it will still appeal to somebody.'

Prague, is now the epicentre of the crystal meth industry, said to be the source of a staggering 95 per cent of all batches consumed in Europe. In the show - which has won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe awards - one episode focuses on a scheme to export methamphetamine from New Mexico to the Czech Republic. In reality, police say it is also down to a much more sophisticated production and distribution network run by Vietnamese gangs based in the Czech Republic. Colonel Jackub Frydrych, from Czech Republic Police, who heads the team trying to disrupt the trade, said: "There are booming markets. "I will give you an example: in Japan there is a big mark up of about £435 on each gram of crystal meth. "From a profit perspective it is one of the most dynamic markets."

Home office figures revealed the problem is also much closer to home with around 17,000 people believed to have used crystal meth in 2013. Border police intercepted the drug on 252 occasions last year, rising from the 61 seizures recorded in 2011/12. A number of 'meth labs' have been discovered in the UK but the majority of the country's supply is thought to be smuggled in. Officers in England and Wales recorded 110 seizures of the drug in its non-injectable form in the last year, compared to only 24 incidents in 2008/09. It was seized on 55 occasions in 2010/11.

Breaking Bad blamed for shocking rise in crystal meth usage3 Nov 2014 ~ A leading academic claims the critically-acclaimed US show Breaking Bad "instantly makes people curious" about crystal meth

The shocking rise in crystal meth usage across the UK and Europe could be down to the influence of hit TV show Breaking Bad, a leading academic has warned. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction has revealed how parts of the EU are now being flooded with methamphetamine. Germany in particular has seen the highest surge in usage of the Class-A drug reporting a worrying rise of 51 per cent. In Britain alone border patrols have seen a surge in attempts to smuggle crystal meth into the country rise by 400 per cent in the past year. Figures released by the Government in January also revealed seizures of the deadly drug by police forces have also quadrupled in the last five years. On Monday Professor Ellis Cashmore, an author on celebrity and media culture, from Staffordshire University, said the global success of the critically-acclaimed US drama could be to blame. He claimed having the central plot of a popular TV show revolving around the drug would instantly boost its appeal.

Mr Cashmore said: "Although the show does not go out to glamorise the drug, its very inclusion promotes interest in that substance. "The fact it is a central premise to almost the entire series would serve to boost this interest for people who perhaps had not encountered it before. "One of the central protagonists Jessie, played by Aaron Paul, is portrayed as a drug addict and he is now a Hollywood A-Lister. He is a bit of a sex symbol. "The fact this character who we grow to love is taking crystal meth instantly makes people curious. "We live in a hedonistic generation where people are seeking pleasure from various sources, and increasingly these are be found in the most illicit forms. "Even if a TV show, like Breaking Bad, portrays drugs in a negative aspect and showing its most destructive side, it will still appeal to somebody. "Showing the horrendous impact of crystal meth can have a boomerang effect and cause curiosity among some viewers who might think 'that must be good'. "I'm not surprised following the success of Breaking Bad that we have news of a surge in the use of methamphetamine. "The fact millions of people have watched the show and been entertained by it almost instantly glamorises its subject matter, whether deliberate or not."

'Even if it shows drugs' most destructive side, it will still appeal to somebody.'

Prague, is now the epicentre of the crystal meth industry, said to be the source of a staggering 95 per cent of all batches consumed in Europe. In the show - which has won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe awards - one episode focuses on a scheme to export methamphetamine from New Mexico to the Czech Republic. In reality, police say it is also down to a much more sophisticated production and distribution network run by Vietnamese gangs based in the Czech Republic. Colonel Jackub Frydrych, from Czech Republic Police, who heads the team trying to disrupt the trade, said: "There are booming markets. "I will give you an example: in Japan there is a big mark up of about £435 on each gram of crystal meth. "From a profit perspective it is one of the most dynamic markets."

Home office figures revealed the problem is also much closer to home with around 17,000 people believed to have used crystal meth in 2013. Border police intercepted the drug on 252 occasions last year, rising from the 61 seizures recorded in 2011/12. A number of 'meth labs' have been discovered in the UK but the majority of the country's supply is thought to be smuggled in. Officers in England and Wales recorded 110 seizures of the drug in its non-injectable form in the last year, compared to only 24 incidents in 2008/09. It was seized on 55 occasions in 2010/11.

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